Auckland Protest against Israeli Officials

The Palestine Human Rights Campaign in Auckland promises what it calls a ‘vigorous protest’ against Israel's Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ron Prosor’s visit to Auckland.

Ron Prosser is scheduled to be breakfasting with the new Israeli Ambassador Naftali Tamir, Auckland business people and the New Zealand Israel Trade Association at 7.30am on June 1st at Vero Building,48 Shortland Street Auckland

Auckland PHRC spokesperson Janfrie Wakim says Israel is behaving as the world’s leading pariah state, acting totally outside the restraints of international law, and New Zealand has no business hosting its senior officials while it continues its occupation of Palestinian territory.

“Two years ago the International Court of Justice ruled that the wall Israel is building inside the West Bank is illegal and it must be immediately dismantled. Israel has totally ignored this landmark decision against what it blatantly another Israeli land grab,” says Janfrie.

“We further join with peace groups in Israel in condemning the escalating crisis of the Israeli military siege against the democratically-elected Palestinian Authority, and the resulting starvation of the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza.”

The PHRC condemned the press statement issued by the New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs, Winston Peters, which described New Zealand and Israel as having ‘shared democratic traditions’.

“New Zealand governments have always previously, and with very good reason, condemned Israel’s repression of human rights and it brutal occupation of Palestinian land. Now all we get from our government is pathetic fawning.”
“Israel is only going to be encouraged by such diplomacy. So it is more than time to use the boycott strategy to enforce the rights of Palestinian people, including the right of the now millions of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties or to be compensated for their losses.”

Further, the PHRC notes that two weeks ago the Ontario division of Canada's largest union, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (more than 200,000 workers ) voted overwhelmingly to support a campaign isolating Israel internationally until the Palestinians' right to self-determination is recognised.

“New Zealand workers and consumers should do the same, until Israel reaches a just peace with the Palestinian people within the framework of international law. What we are getting from Israel at the moment is a series of surrender demands on the Palestinian Authority, to give it an excuse to grab even more land in the West Bank and East Jerusalem,” Janfrie concluded.

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